ticking

noun4

1. •
   the light sound that a clock or a watch makes again and again as it marks each second

   • Were they indeed the tickings of a hundred clocks — the fine low inward breathings of Time's children! — 1842
2. •
   A strong cotton or linen fabric used to cover pillows and mattresses.

   • Harvey saw with disgust that there were no sheets on his bed-place. He was lying on a piece of dingy ticking full of lumps and nubbles. — 1897
3. •
   An illusional style of dance where one moves his or her body to the "tic" of the music creating a strobe or animated effect.
4. •
   A marking that occurs on some horses, involving white flecks of hair at the flank, and white hairs at the base of the tail, called a skunk tail or rabicano, sometimes referred to as birdcatcher ticks.